Ex-GOP hopeful: Broken promises in Washington open door for Trump

Establishment Republicans and Democrats should not be surprised about the divisions in their parties because they've delivered years of empty promises of change, said Tim Pawlenty, who unsuccessfully sought the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

"How did socialism nearly take over the Democratic Party? Or how did [Donald Trump] rise in the Republican party? It's because the people who do things in the normal course haven't gotten it done," the former two-term Minnesota governor told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday.

Pawlenty, who had supported Florida Sen. Marco Rubio during the primaries, said he vowed to support the GOP nominee, so he's backing Trump for the presidency over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

After dropping his presidential bid, Pawlenty became the co-chair of Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign. Pawlenty is currently head of the Financial Services Roundtable advocacy group.

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